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standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

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pH (alkalinity) <strong>and</strong> so on. (See recommendations <strong>of</strong> the working<br />

groups, chapters 22-24 below.) [This is not an exhaustive list. ISA is<br />

encouraged to consult with biological, chemical <strong>and</strong> physical<br />

oceanographers to compile a complete list <strong>of</strong> useful variables that<br />

are realistic for the sampling designs.]<br />

• Integration. To underst<strong>and</strong> ecosystem function <strong>and</strong> impact<br />

assessment, it is important to combine <strong>information</strong> on the biology,<br />

chemistry <strong>and</strong> physics <strong>of</strong> both the benthic <strong>and</strong> pelagic environments<br />

into a single <strong>data</strong>base.<br />

• Flexibility. A relational <strong>data</strong>base is recommended. It is essential to<br />

be able to sort the <strong>data</strong> by taxon, time, location <strong>and</strong> <strong>environmental</strong><br />

parameters or any other variable. For example, ecologists should<br />

be able to easily extract <strong>data</strong> on polychaete species <strong>and</strong> their<br />

abundances to calculate species diversity, correlate this with <strong>data</strong><br />

on particulate organic carbon (POC) flux or sediment grain size, <strong>and</strong><br />

determine how these relationships vary in space <strong>and</strong> time.<br />

• Interface with Analytical Tools. The <strong>data</strong>base should interface<br />

readily with s<strong>of</strong>tware <strong>and</strong> hardware for statistical analysis, plotting,<br />

mapping <strong>and</strong> modelling. A good model for applying statistical<br />

analyses to <strong>data</strong>bases is Robert K. Colwell’s Biota, at the University<br />

<strong>of</strong> Connecticut (http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/biota).<br />

• Examination <strong>of</strong> Existing Models. There are currently several large<br />

<strong>data</strong>base management systems for biodiversity <strong>and</strong> <strong>environmental</strong><br />

surveys. These include Biocean at l’Institut français de recherche<br />

pour l'exploitation de la mer (IFREMER); Linnaeus II at the Expert<br />

Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI), Amsterdam; <strong>and</strong> the Irish<br />

Marine Data Center in Dublin, supported by the European Union’s<br />

Marine Science <strong>and</strong> Technology programme (EU MAST). The<br />

ENQUAD (Environmental Quality Department) <strong>data</strong>base, using<br />

Oracle, that was developed by the Massachusetts Water Resources<br />

Authority (www.mwra.com), is extremely well managed, heavily used<br />

for both science <strong>and</strong> policy decisions, <strong>and</strong> comparable in size <strong>and</strong><br />

complexity to the <strong>data</strong>base contemplated by ISA. It would be very<br />

beneficial for ISA, in creating a <strong>data</strong>base, to explore existing<br />

<strong>data</strong>base models <strong>and</strong> consult with the developers <strong>and</strong> users <strong>of</strong><br />

these <strong>data</strong>bases.<br />

INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 449

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